Intra-city: Fares slashed by up to 11 percent

Nearly 250,000 people set to benefit from reduction in fares

LAHORE: The Lahore Transport Company (LTC) on Wednesday slashed intra-city passenger bus fares by up to 11 percent.

Speaking to newsmen at the company’s headquarters, CEO Khwaja Haider Latif said the company had reduced CNG bus tariffs following a steady decline in gas prices. In the first stage, between one to four kilometres, the tariff has been reduced by Rs3 and fixed at Rs15.

Similarly, Rs5 has been slashed from each of the four remaining slab fares. For second stage (4.1 to 8 km) the tariff has been fixed at Rs20; for third stage (8.1 to 14 km) at Rs25; for the fourth stage (14.1 to 22 km) at Rs30 and for the last stage (22.1 km and beyond) at Rs35.

“The price of CNG has declined to Rs49 per litre. Initially, the company did not slash fares as it was subsidising passengers. The price has (now) declined to a level where the government and the LTC feel that the relief must be passed on to commuters,” Latif said.  The CEO said nearly 250,000 passengers who used CNG buses daily were set to benefit from the reduction in fares. Another 200,000 use minibuses across the provincial metropolis, he said.

The CEO said the company was planning to deploy buses across 15 new routes. “Currently around 400 buses ply across Lahore. The company has received an expression of interest for another 838 buses but it requires 312 buses for the new routes. Seven transport operators have evinced interest in the routes. However, the LTC is waiting to secure the approval of higher authorities,” he said.

He said the Punjab Mass Transit Authority was also looking into introducing feeder bus routes that will connect different areas of the city with the metro bus. Latif said the LTC had been coordinating with the PMA to prevent routes from being replicated.

He said a survey was being conducted to ascertain public transport needs in the city. The CEO said its completion would allow the PMA and LTC to formulate new projects with greater effectiveness. He said the survey’s completion would also allow the LTC to introduce new routes in a more organised fashion.

Shedding light on the enforcement of the slashed fares, Latif said that the company had already constituted teams and authorised them to take indiscriminate action against those involved in overcharging passengers.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 17^th, 2016.